Wireless communication devices such as cellular telephones (cell phone), other mobile communication devices that are combined with cellular telephones, cellular telephones that are combined with other electronic devices, such as digital cameras, and the like have become prevalent in society. Due to the small form factors of these mobile devices, subscribers and other users may often have the mobile device with them at all times of the day and night. For example, a user may have a cell phone clipped to a belt, in a brief case, purse or a computer bag, for example. Due to this ready availability of cell phones, it is not uncommon for a user to receive a call when the user is not ready at that present time to take the call.
When a cell phone user receives a call that the user cannot take at the time the call is received, both the user and the caller may face a frustrating situation. For example, in one instance, the cell phone user may either be on an existing call or in a location that prohibits taking a new call, such as a business meeting or the like, when the new call is received. In such a situation, the user may have to ignore the new call and let the new call self-terminate or perhaps let the new call be automatically redirected to a call message system, such as a voicemail system or the like. Thus, the user has missed the new call and may access a message from the call message system if a message was left by the caller. If no message was left by the caller, the user may only have the data from a call log to memorialize the call.
In another instance, the user may answer the new call, talk briefly and quickly with the caller and then put the call in a hold state, thereby maintaining ready access to the call. In this situation, the user, at least briefly, engages with the call before putting the call in the hold state. Also, the call in the hold state may wait until the user terminates the hold and engages the call or the call may self-terminate the hold state by ending the call and disconnecting from the user's cell phone or cellular network. A caller that is in a hold state for a period of time may come to believe that the user has forgotten about the call in the hold state, especially if the caller is given no status of the user's activity during the hold state. Thus, the call may be in the hold state for the entirety of the user's inconvenience with no clear indication of the user's status. Also, the caller who tires of waiting in the hold state may terminate the hold state by ending the call without the ability to leave the user any message.
Thus, mobile device users may benefit from a system that enables a user to put a call into a hold state without first conversing with the caller, but still providing the caller with a notification of the hold and the user's status during the hold. Callers to mobile devices may benefit by receiving a status of the mobile device user during the hold state. Callers may also benefit by having the ability to terminate a hold state by opting to leave a message on a call message system.